


That's what you get when you let your heart win

by Nife



Category: Voltron: Legendary Defender
Genre: I am terrible, M/M, but that's okay, hahahha, it's shiro's birthday, so he gets to fondle his fav blue boy
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-03-01
Updated: 2017-03-01
Packaged: 2018-09-27 14:22:51
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 5,873
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/10024568
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Nife/pseuds/Nife
Summary: Shiro gets hit by a flower that's supposed to murder him dead. It doesn't, guess what happens instead





	

**Author's Note:**

  * For [BossToaster (ChaoticReactions)](https://archiveofourown.org/users/ChaoticReactions/gifts).



> This fic is dedicated to Shiro's birthday and bosstoaster who writes such lovely things for us!

If someone had asked Lance, ‘Hey do you think Shiro will crawl in between your legs and beg to suck your cock?’ he would choke. Presuming he’d survive and not like, run away from them because ‘WHAT THE FUCKING FUCK?!’ he’d answer with a no. No, that was not something he’d predict would ever happen to him. 

It’s something he’d fantasised about, like six thousand times when he had more than fifteen minutes of alone time that didn’t consist of passing out in bed and trying not to cry. Who the hell are you to judge? Men cry, and he’s tired and lonely and homesick, so screw off.

Anyways, Lance should probably back up a little bit.

Both physically and to explain how this messed up situation occurred.

First off, none of this was his fault. Not even a little bit! 

It was all Haggar.

That bitch was like Shiro’s worst fangirl.

But, back on to explaining; they had liberated a planet from the Garla. Usual fair, even got a bit of a celebration after. It was great, and as usual, Shiro was being rewarded by the planet’s leader because he’d been the big damn hero. Same bat time, same bat channel. 

Lance wasn’t jealous, except for the part where Shiro literally carried some princess through an exploding ship and out into the relative safety of Black. Then, flew the howling princess, man space was weird, back to her home and safety.

After fending off the usual marriage proposals, which is a hilariously common thing, even for Lance, they got down to the good stuff. Drinking and partying. 

Okay, so the drinking was after Shiro got dragged off. Because fearless leader believed in the American system of; you have to be twenty-one. 

Yeah, okay, but like, they’re fighting an intergalactic war? In what universe is it logical that they can kill people but can’t drink those memories away?

Did Lance mention he spends a lot of time crying?

Well, yeah. They may have stopped keeping track of Shiro, well him and Hunk. Who knew what the hell Pidge was up to and he could not care less about how Keith chose to celebrate. Okay, that was a lie but only a little one. He cared, just like only enough to be; if he dies we lose a paladin and a friend who helps him a surprisingly good amount and-

Whatever, back to Shiro’s part. 

Shiro was dragged over to a private-er celebration where he was given a flower. A show of gratitude or something. Lance was too inebriated at the time to wonder much about it. 

After a good night’s rest, they left the planet and headed off to be heroes to somewhere else.

All was good with the universe. 

And then Shiro got sick.

Of course, they didn’t learn this because Shiro told them, no. That’s not how their leader functions! He has to drop dead at their feet before he admits there’s a problem.

So, they put Shiro into the healing pod and then…

Well, the dude went nuts to put it lightly. He pounded on the glass and howled as if something were eating him. Keith screamed at the princess to shut it down and she was trying.

But then his vitals dropped to nothing and he fell silent.

They managed to pull him out and Lance and Hunk spent five minutes resuscitating him. Once he was breathing again, and all of them were able to stop shaking, they discussed what to do next.

Discuss was sort of the wrong term, Coran and Allura spoke in such quick and harsh words that it was hard to follow. Not that Lance was coherent enough to do much more then drink from his pouch that Pidge got them. 

In the end, they checked the stupid flower he’d gotten and learnt that it had corrupted the natural flow of quintessence in Shiro’s body. Also, it was Haggar’s doing. Bitch.

Great, problem found! The solution was the next step!

Only the solution was some a mystic pool that no one knew the location of. No one but him, apparently. Blue was the only lion that could tread upon its sacred grounds, or whatever, too. 

How? Why? 

“Space magic,” Allura had answered. Well, no. Her answer had been long and convoluted and he’d zoned out about halfway through. That’s a lie, more like, after the first five minutes.

Keith nearly decked him when she asked Lance something and his answer had been a very intelligent ‘buh?’

Then, the firecracker had gone on a rant about Voltron this and save the universe that, and again he’d definitely tunned out less than three words in. After a couple of threats to his person, if he didn’t do everything perfectly and save Shiro, he was off.

Everything was great at first, well aside from Shiro’s moans of pain. Apparently, all he had to do was open himself up to the ‘natural flow’ of the universe, or some hippie thing. Blue had this down, though, all he had to do was trust her and he did. Implicitly. 

A portal opened, something that Blue could apparently do? He’d seen it once but then never again because Allura and the castle had that covered. 

Well, whatever. 

Save Shiro, come home, be congratulated on an easy job well done. 

Perfect. 

Until Shiro had woken up. 

At first, Lance didn’t think much of it, didn’t even realise that he had. Then, Shiro was draped over his seat, panting like he’d run a fifty-mile race without pause. 

It hadn’t scared him, not immediately. Lance had been worried for Shiro but not the outright panic that he would experience very shortly. 

After groaning like the best kind of porn stars Lance had ever watched, Shiro fell to the cockpit’s floor, hadn’t even tried to catch himself. With a couple of quick button presses, he’d set Blue on autopilot and went to check their leader over. 

Apparently, he needn’t bothered as Shiro climbed up the seat and then sat, with no reservation what-so-ever, on Lance’s lap. 

Now, Lance isn’t small. Thin maybe, but a good height and build. Shiro, however, is like a freaking tank. He was pinned to his seat. 

Shiro who wasn’t in his casual outfit, only the medical suit, since you went commando in those things. Lance knew he’d worn them himself. Apparently, it was Coran who got them ready? Creepy. 

Lance could make out every finite detail, every bit of muscle tone on Shiro’s body. 

“Uhm.” Lance blinked owlishly and tried not to faint as blood rushed everywhere but where it should. 

“Lance…” Shiro sighed, just short of breathless. “Lance… I need-” He ran his hands up his own torso, playing with his chest through his suit. “Please-”

“Oh damn, I must have died.” Lance muttered, eyes and mouth wide, “or you’re not Shiro. Shit, you’re not-”

“Lance.” an exasperated tone, the same Shiro used when he was being, well, himself. 

“Okay, so,” Lance gaped openly at the larger man occupying his lap, “you are Shiro, which is good but a bit confusing. Why are you touching yourself?”

“I need you, please. I need you to have me, would give me.” More gasps and moans as those hands worked at his own body, slowly palming himself. 

Those suits definitely left nothing to the imagination and, oh god, he could see a wet spot at the tip of Shiro’s more than generous girth.

And, about now Lance had caught up to the narration he’d started. The larger man had slid back and off the chair, onto his knees, palming Lance through his thicker bodysuit. 

“Uhm, Shiro.” Lance squawked. He was sure that this was not a part of the getting Shiro a cure for quintessence corruption. “I think you’re ill and should probably go lay back down! Like, now.” Okay, so that came out way more squeaky than he intended but Shiro chose that moment to lean down and start tonguing at his rapidly hardening length.

“Oh shit!” Lance nearly bucked into that mouth. He couldn’t feel the heat or wet but he could damn well feel the pressure. “Okay, that’s- oh god, Shiro!” 

Hands went wild, gripping Shiro’s white bangs, helplessly trying to not tug on them and accidently hurt the already ailing man. 

“Hm, Lance.” Shiro swirled his tongue up and over the slight bulge that managed to push up against the thick fabric. “You should take these off.”

“I’m going to hell…and Keith’s going to send me there.” Lance groaned. “We have to stop Shiro, I don’t know what’s suddenly gotten into you, please stop making that face, that wasn’t a pun.” 

“Well, I know something that could get into me.” Shiro smiled up at him, flushed red but eyes bright.

“Ugh, do not continue that terrible joke either. How does anyone think you’re smooth with lines like that?” Lance was suffering, how was he supposed to wrangle his rascal if Shiro kept massaging his thighs so nicely? “Fuck, Shiro!” 

“Hopefully,” Shiro said, before chewing on his thigh. 

“Shiro, no.” Finally wrestling back some brain power he pulled on the bangs, pulling Shiro back, who groaned indecently. Seriously, that wasn’t helping. “Look, this is not a good idea right now. You’re ill and… well, I’m not entirely convinced sober.” 

“I didn’t drink at the party,” Shiro answered, grabbing the hand in his hair and bringing it to his lips. “I want you, need you in me.” 

“While that sounds fantastic, it does not convince me of your soberness.” Lance shuddered, as Shiro sucked on his pointer finger, through the glove. “I’m pretty sure one of your first speeches included, ‘no, I’m not sleeping with Keith, that would be fraternising.’ after Hunk, who completely lacks tact or anyone’s privacy asked in the first twenty minutes of meeting you.” 

“That was before we became paladins and mostly to sooth Keith’s temper before it flared and he punched Hunk.” Shiro soothed, rubbing his knee with his free hand. “How about we take off this armour?”

“Now I know you’re not right in the head,” Lance scoffed, pulling his arm free. “Tight lace Shiro asking me to take my armour off in the middle of a mission? Come on, there’s got to be something wrong. I’ll send a biometric scan back to the castle.”

“Lance, there’s nothing wrong…well except that neither of us is naked.” Shiro nearly purred.

Lance was going to fucking lose it, how dare Shiro look so damned…wanton and cute at the same time. 

A full body shudder worked its way through him, making his toes curl. No, bad Lance! Contain yourself for the good of Voltron!

“You may not thank me now for this, hell, I’m going to berate myself later, but this stops now.” Lance managed to pull Shiro’s head away from his lap, even pushing the larger man back. “Sit back please and let me…call the castle, figure this out.”

“But Lance…” it was a whine, that was definitely a whine coming out of Shiro’s mouth. 

“No ‘but Lance’ me.” Yeah! He could totally do this, he was doing this right now. He hailed the castle, glad when Coran’s face came up.

“Oh! Hello number three, how goes the hunt for the spring?” Coran asked

“Hey, Coran. Swell. Tell me, what are all the possible effect of quintessence corruption?” Lance rattled off before the older man could continue.

“Oh, why? Is Shiro experiencing any other symptoms?” Concern crept into Coran’s voice.

Before he could answer, a hand crawled up his thigh, rubbing his already raging hard on and stuttering his thoughts. 

“Lance! Lance are you alright!” Coran’s shout managed to cut through the fog, “You suddenly cut out!” 

“I-I’m okay. Okay, yeah. Shiro’s definitely suffering some other symptoms.” it was a struggle to get that out, Shiro was relentless.

“What symptoms?! Are you suffering any of them?!” Coran asked and it sounded like others were joining him. Oh good.

“Suffering’s a term… but no. I’m okay, Shiro’s… I think he might be a little, I don’t know, drunk? Out of his mind?” Lance nearly gasped, just biting his tongue to keep from it.

“Are you sure you’re okay?” Perfect, Hunk had joined this conversation. “You look flushed.”

Okay, no one could blame him for shuddering when Shiro chuckled around mouthing at his hardon. 

“Oh god-” Lance bit his lips but it was too late, the words had escaped. 

“Lance!” Hunk cried. 

Shit!

“Lance, what’s wrong!? What’s happening?!” 

Double shit!

He might have slurred out a gotta go before he cut the call because he was not going to come in front of Coran and Hunk, no chance in hell!

Didn’t he tell Shiro to stay back? Why was Lance letting this happen? He was- oh shit. Shiro’s metal hand was working down to his perineum and past towards his butt and- it was vibrating, how in hell did-

He lost it, head rolling back while he arched and came in his uniform. Like a cadet

This was going to be fun to clean later. 

It literally took him a minute to come back to himself. Waking up to Shiro nearly stripped out of his medical outfit. Uh oh.

“Okay, I get that you probably want to have that favour returned, and I’m not opposed or anything but we really need to find out if you’re doing this because you’re ill or-” Lance rambled, huffing as he managed to regain his breathing.

“Are you frightened?” Shiro asked, again crawling into his lap.

“No, I-” Lance rubbed his head. “I want to make sure that this is what you want, not what you…” He sat up. “Please, just let me run a test and if it’s fine then you can…do whatever. If not then we need to stop.” 

“A test.” Shiro pouted. 

“Singular, yes.” Lance groaned, managing to get Shiro off him and get out his medkit. “Sit on the chair, and just don’t move, okay?” he nearly begged, pulling out the scanner and running it over the larger man. 

His communicator was blinking a very loud and angry red. Ah great, he’d probably given Hunk and Coran freaking heart attacks. Well, they’d have to wait a couple more minutes, as there was no way he was going to answer with a mostly naked Shiro sitting on his chair. 

He got the scan done and read over the data as best he could. Which is to say piss poorly seeing as he still only had a certain grasp over Altean. Shit. 

“Okay, going to need you to put your medsuit back on and …sit over there. I’ll be with you in a moment.” Time to face the music, and probably be cried at by Hunk. He hated when he made that happen.

“YOU SON OF A BITCH!!!” Or Hunk could be a raging monster. That’s good too, probably better. “We thought you were being attacked!!”

“…No, I’m fine.” Ah great, Lance was blushing like mad. Hunk would definitely figure out what was up. “Is Coran still there?” 

“No, he ran off to assemble the team and try to track you, only we can’t because you went through a wormhole of your lion’s making and apparently that makes you untrackable!” Hunk shouted.

“Hello, Hunk.” Shiro called from where he sat, smug as a cat, lounging and giving Lance ‘come hither’ looks. 

“You-!” Lance was about ready to choke him.

“Shiro’s awake?” Hunk asked, and Lance knew that look! Like he was putting all the pieces of the puzzle together and seeing the full image for the first time.

“Uh, Hunk. Can I please speak with Coran?” ABORT, ABORT!

“…I’ll get him.” Hunk said, giving Lance one hell of a stink eye. He turned and brought up another window, speaking with whoever was on the other side. “He’ll be here in a minute, oh and Allura’s coming with him.”

“Fuck.” Lance groaned. “I just need to understand this scan I took of Shiro.” 

“Why, what’s wrong?” Hunk asked, concern creeping back into his voice. “Aside from what we already know.”

“I think he may… be suffering from some, I don’t know.” Lance’s eyes shot over to where the man was lazily playing with himself, “It’s like he’s drunk.”

“Telling you you’re his favourite paladin or trying to punch you in the face drunk?” Hunk asked carefully, knowing now that Shiro was in hearing range.

“Weird drunk,” Lance answered. “Just, let me talk to Coran.” 

He didn’t have to wait long, nor did he have any time to ask anything, before Allura was screaming at top volume. Usually, he’d wait till she was done, lest he suffers even more of her wrath, but Shiro had already proven he was more than willing to get a bit handsy.

“Okay, I fucked up and I’m a terrible paladin. May I speak with Coran now?” He interrupted.

For nearly a full minute they all sat gaping at him like fish. Shiro raised a brow. It would have been delightfully entertaining at any other time. 

Not now, “Coran?” He tried again.

“Ah, yes number 3?” the older man asked, coming into view.

“I’m sending scans, I need to know what they mean,” Lance replied.

It took a total of fifteen minutes for the data to transfer but luckily barely three minutes for Coran to interpret it. “His …corruption.” 

“His corruption, what?” Lance asked, anxious enough to bounce.

“His corruption is…tangled up his nervous system.” Coran answered, looking ill, “He should be dead!” 

“Oh, he’s not.” Lance meeped, or made a sound close to it. “Either that or he’s the weirdest zombie alive, or all those horror movies lied to me.” 

“What the hell Lance!?” Hunk asked, giving him such a squinty look.

“What do I do?” Lance ignored him, he’d get one hell of a lecture later. 

“Get him to the spring immediately and pray it takes hold.” Allura answered, “Otherwise watch out, he may have some… odd behaviour.”

“Such as?” Lance inquired as if he hadn’t already suffered some.

“Well I don’t know if human nervous systems are quite like ours but- he could be irrational, suffer spasming, maybe even try to relieve any pain he’s currently suffering,” Allura replied. “Has he attacked you?”

“Attacked- er, no! He’s, yeah okay. I think I’ll definitely get to the spring now. I’ll keep you posted.” Lance stuttered.

“Don’t you dare hit that sw-” Allura’s cry was cut off with a flick of the wrist. Okay, so Shiro was definitely crawling back over to him now. Time for a plan, a very quick one that wouldn’t get anyone hurt in between now and getting to the spring. Uhm, handcuffs? Maybe but how would he get them on him?

“Hello Lance, you did your scan and you have your answer.” Shiro purred, tongue rolling over chapped lips, and Jesus, that should not be that hot. 

“Yeah, you’re not well,” Lance answered. “Come on, you promised that we’d stop if it was the sickness.”

“But it’s not because of that. I want you because it’s you.” how Shiro managed to pull off the top part of his medical suit and crawl back onto Lance’s lap without falling over himself was beyond his understanding. 

“Okay but I think that’s probably got something to do with your nervous system currently suffering corrupted quintessence.” He needed a plan now. “Why don’t you rest a while and then, after we fixed you up, if you’re still raring to go then…we’ll go.” 

“Do you not want it?” Shiro asked, and goddammit that should not look so enticing! 

“More than you’ll ever know,” Lance groaned, “but not at your cost. I want you to be in good health if we- if this became a thing.”

“I’ll never be in ‘good health’. The most I’ll be is still breathing.” Shiro answered. 

Lance had to pause, the honesty of Shiro’s voice shaking him a bit. “That’s, no- Shiro.” he pulled back and pet his face. “That’s terrible. We’ll fix this and you’ll be okay. If there’s something else wrong we’ll fix that too.” 

“You can’t fix me, Lance, there are too many missing parts.” Shiro nearly growled, holding up his galra arm.

It hurt to see Shiro so hurt like this. He took the arms and kissed it. “We’ll replace or repair any missing pieces. Anything we can’t we’ll make up for it, as a team.” 

“I appreciate the thought.” Shiro answered and twining their fingers, pushed Lance against the chair, “I’d appreciate something else now.” 

“Shiro- I-” Before he could even try to make up more excuses a large object came into view, or… actually, it looked more like a bubble? Or a tear. It wasn’t really round, more like someone had cut open space itself. “Wow.” 

“That’s…it’s really beautiful.” Shiro agreed, “Like our own private heaven.” 

It really was dazzling, blue wisps of light flowing in a spiral around and inside were almost a mirror like surface, stars glittering on its surface. “It’s not a black hole or some other form of a super condensed star. It …sort of looks like a wormhole, right?” 

“I guess that’s why only you could find it? Maybe it’s a wild wormhole? A natural tear in space?” Shiro pondered, looking surprising alert for a dude suffering from something that should be fatal. “We’re going in?”

“Yeah, that’s what Blue’s saying.” Lance replied, “Uhm, seriously, though. If after this you want to continue, fine. Right now, let’s just get you better.”

“Will you let me ‘later on’?” Shiro asked, looking soberingly sad. 

“Shiro, I-” Lance could feel his heart sputter and pick up speed. It was a physical ache but he had to push through it, deal with the situation now and emotions-

He’d deal with them when they came up again, which if his luck kept at it, would be never. As if none of this had happened.

Before he could go and make himself sad Lance flew into the tear, wormhole, thing, flying pretty well all considered. They ended up on a beach, literally right out of the gate. The sky was both day and night at the same time, the water reflecting like a mirror. 

“Okay, this is either the end boss to pretty much every fantasy game ever, or we landed in heaven,” Lance asked, eyes wide as he took in the sight. 

“Shall we go march like heathens into paradise?” Shiro grinned, teeth bared in an open smile. 

“I’m beginning to think that this corruption only fucked with your inhibitions,” Lance replied, smiling but casting a worried glance in Shiro’s direction. “But, yes to the heathens thing.”

Out they went, Lance scanning to make sure the atmosphere wouldn’t melt their faces off and the ground wouldn’t, hazarding a guess, swallow them whole. Finding neither to be likely they moved out, Blue vaguely imprinting some sort of direction in his mind. 

“You know I always hear her but never really in words. It’s like everything is just known as soon as she wants me to know it.” Lance explained though Shiro hadn’t asked. He was nervously rambling. It’s been a tough past twenty-four hours. 

“Black shows me things, sometimes,” Shiro said, walking at a leisurely pace beside him. “Their memories, how they were made.” 

“Wow, that’s-” Lance looked at him with wide eyes and open astonishment, “amazing! Blue never talks about that sort of stuff with me. Mostly it’s how to do things.” he was pouting, he knew, but he never got the cool stuff happening to him. Well, same for Hunk but that guy was always happy with what he got.

“You’re the only one who could find this spring?” Shiro said, raising a brow at him. “That’s pretty incredible.” 

“That’s… I mean it’s useful but not, like, cool.” Lance groaned and rubbed at his hair. “I didn’t really do anything, Blue pretty much did everything, all I did was… get a handjob.” Oh damn, now he was blushing again, luckily his tan skin hid the worst of it.

“I’m not sure if I should point out how cool finding a wild wormhole is or to take you up on your previous offer.” Shiro was smirking, and pulling Lance in, holding his head in his hand.

“That was not an invitation of any description.” Lance huffed, “Like I said, let’s get this spring thing done and then AFTER we’ll find out if it’s you or the corruption.”

Apparently, Shiro had gone back to not listening since he all but shoved Lance against a tree, kissing him open mouthed. He wasn’t held there, not really, but how was he supposed to push Shiro away when he kissed like that?

Lance groaned, getting louder when Shiro started to grind against him. 

No, he couldn’t come again in his uniform! “Stop!” Lance gasped, breaking from the kiss with a lewd and very wet smack. 

“Do you not want to?” Shiro asked, backing away at least a little. 

“I-” Lance was beet red again, “I just want it to be real!” 

“It is real,” Shiro replied, looking upset. It wasn’t the kind Lance was used to seeing on his leader’s face. “I’m not allowed to, but I want you.” 

“Why aren’t you allowed to?” Lance asked, gripping the tree tightly to keep from reaching out to Shiro. 

“Because I’m the leader.” Shiro sighed miserably. “I have to take care of all of you and I can’t let myself be slowed down by anything. I can’t play favourites, I can’t put any one of you above the other. I can’t love.” 

“That’s-” Lance was honestly floored. “What kind of messed up logic is that?! Can’t love?! We’re not freaking Jedi!” 

“It’s not a matter of morals but principals.” Shiro sighed, “What if they learn what you meant to me? They could use that against me, against Voltron.” 

“Shiro, I hate to break this to you but you care about every single one of us. If we’re in danger you leap, head first, into the fire to pull us out. Loving someone in a different way isn’t going to stop you from loving all of us.” Lance couldn’t actually believe he’d managed to argue so well with Shiro. Usually, he wasn’t this articulate. 

“I-” Shiro stuttered, Lance chalked it up to the corruption. “You-” then he laughed, good and hearty, full of mirth. “You are amazing Lance.” Shiro kissed him again. It felt pretty good, Lance liked this kiss a lot 

“Okay, well. I’ll take that as is.” Lance managed to chuckle, more to shake off nerves than any real humour. “Come on, let’s get that cure and-” he paused and blushed, “we’ll see, okay?”

“Promise?” Shiro asked, less pouty this time around. 

“Yes Shiro, let’s go.” Lance laughed more sincerely this time, tugging him along. 

It was a bit of a trek, nearly ten miles through a jungle but they found a river about three miles in and were able to follow it to the source. 

“It’s…literally a pond.” Lance blinked, tilting his head at the waters. “Wow, I’m kind of disappointed.” 

“Yeah, I was expecting, I don’t know,” Shiro echoed his disappointment, “something majestic and breathtaking?” 

“Well, guess you should hop in?” Lance shrugged, best get this over with. 

Shiro nodded, studying the waters. “Do I just hop in? Am I supposed to drink it?”

Now Lance was so glad he’d worn his armour and hadn’t been convinced to ditch it. He pulled up the specs of the mission, reading the last part thoroughly. “You’re supposed to submerge yourself and I’m going to activate it? What the-?”

“What the, what?” Shiro asked, blinking. “Are the instructions unclear?”

“Activate how? They don’t bother to explain that part!” Lance gasped, rereading everything and trying to decipher some hidden meaning. 

“They…don’t explain.” Shiro rubbed his head, rolling his eyes. “Of course they don’t. Should we just try? Maybe it’s like forming Voltron? You just have to do it?”

“Okay but I had the lion for that, I don’t have her here!” Lance grumbled. “Stupid instructions, why is it so hard for those two to give a straight freaking answer?” 

“Must be a part of the Altean aesthetic.” Shiro grinned. 

“Sure, but now we have no idea how to activate this stupid pond and I don’t want to back through the portal just to get an answer to the latest riddle they threw at me!” Lance shouted, throwing his hands up.

Shiro walked over to him, taking his hands after he finished flailing them. With the gentlest smile he’d ever seen grace his face he bent down and kissed Lance’s lips. “I have absolute confidence in you, sharpshooter.” 

“…You know I’m weak to that…” Lance pouted. “How dare you exploit me like this.” But he was smiling, his cheeks hurt a bit from it. “Okay, let’s do this.” 

Shiro kissed him on the nose and then headed to the pool. 

Fighting off a blush, Lance followed, stopping just at the edge of the waters. “Guess I should take off my boots..?” he looked up and immediately lost the battle of the blush. Shiro stood, naked in the pond. Water just coming up to his hips, not helping at all hide his-

Holy shit, Shiro was so pretty.

“Well?” Shiro smirked, twisting lightly in the water and skimming his fingers over the surface. 

“No dignity,” Lance muttered, flushed. He took off his boots and leg armour. Pausing a moment and looking himself over, he thought ‘to hell with it’, and took the rest of his outer armour off too. “Prepare to be amazed.” 

He stepped into the water, hands held out. As best he could he felt the flow of water, the-

Whoa, that felt cold, but, if felt like it was in his blood, flowing. It didn’t hurt but it was strange, tingling. He wasn’t sure when he closed his eyes but he felt himself open them. 

It was like being on Earth, late at night. There were a thousand tiny stars stretched forever before him, shining in a million colours and levels of intensity. Lance was pretty sure he shouldn’t even be able to see this many colours. 

“Shiro?” He tried to speak but couldn’t make even the slightest whisper. There was no sound, only silence, vast and as unending as the infinity before him, yet he knew the words had been understood.

His heart hammered, he couldn’t hear it but he could feel it’s pain. Fear crept upon him like a predator, teeth gnashing with gluttony.

Also, suddenly he was thinking in poetry?

A laugh, so soft and warm, chased everything away, leaving him with the feeling of serenity. 

“Shiro.” Still, couldn’t hear anything but he could feel it, the thoughts swirling inside him. 

Before him, starlight swirled and danced, twirling together like strings weaving together. 

And then Shiro stood before him. Brilliant and bright, a single golden star. He reached out his hand and Lance easily met his hand, pale blue with a softer light. Like the light of the moon.

“So, the moon and the sun meet at last.” Lance silent voice spoke. 

Shiro’s warmth was incredible, just from his hand. 

“And, how beautiful you are.” Shiro star replied, vibrating in him. “How you glow, soft and kind.” 

He could feel himself laugh, the stutter of his heart. “Nice poetry, read it somewhere or is it a Shiro original?” 

“I’ll have you know I’m a romantic at heart,” Shiro replied, even his teeth shined like diamonds. 

“I’d have never guessed.” Lance looked at their intertwined fingers, blue and gold. “I thought you’d be silver?” 

“My light? I don’t know. You’re exactly as beautiful as I’d imagined.” Shiro tightened his grip, but it never hurt. “Can you see it? The corruption?”

Tearing his eyes from their hands Lance’s eyes went to a twisting blackness in Shiro’s light. “Yes, how do I remove it?” 

“You can’t, I can.” Shiro lifted his free arm, crossing his chest and holding the dark. “As I pull push your glow in.”

“But, Shiro-” Lance was afraid, he didn’t want to hurt Shiro and this seemed like it might.

“You’ve kept it from killing me but now we must remove it. If we do not you will suffer its effects.” He gently smiled. “I will not bring harm to you or any of the others.” 

“Okay.” Lance answered, “Though I’d love to know how you know all this later after we fix this.”

“If I can explain it.” it was easy to trust Shiro, easy to feel the complete lack of malicious. “I’m not certain I’d be able to put it into words.”

With no further ado they began, Shiro pulling at the darkness like pulling metal slivers from the skin. Where it was removed, Lance pushed his blue light. Gently they went, easing every bit until the last black swirl was inched out. Lance could feel it’s resistance but it was nothing to them, it was so easily removed and the gap filled up.

Even though he’d never done anything like this before, didn’t even understand how he did it, how he knew too. Lance wondered if Blue would talk to him.

“We’re done…it’s gone.” Lance said with the nothing voice, watching as the last of the dark swirls burnt away. His eyes roamed to Shiro’s face, and he felt the smile twitch at his lips. 

“Let’s go home.” 

The world snapped back into place, Lance floating right beside Shiro, submerged in the cool waters. He gasped, taking in water. 

Luckily Shiro hadn’t startled and pulled them to the surface, and over to the shore. Lance immediately started to puke his brains out, pure agony pulling at his lungs. 

“God, that was dumb.” Lance wheezed. “I’ve been swimming for my entire life, even as an infant!” 

“Everyone screws up.” Shiro patted his back sympathetically, as he hurriedly got dressed again. “Even when it’s something you’ve done forever.” Maybe with the purification, Shiro’s modesty had returned.

“Sure, mister perfect.” Lance meant it humorously but Shiro looked upset. 

Before Lance could say anything else the older man stood. “We should head back.” There, again was the cold distance. 

“Yeah…” Lance stood after him, reaching out and touching his arm. “I- did-” he paused, trying to put the words in some kind of semblance of order. The mood had shifted too quickly for him to keep up. “What you said before, um, the maybe continuing, did you-”

Shiro interrupted quickly, nearly curtly, pulling his hand away. “We need to get back to the others, it’s dangerous out here alone.” 

With a cold so sharp it was painful coursed through him, knocking away the hopeful joy that he had before. The corruption was gone, Shiro was no longer interested. Maybe he hasn’t been interested at all, just sex crazed because of-

Lance was going to be ill. 

“Of course.” There wasn’t anything more to say. He donned his armour, followed after Shiro, and flew back to the castle. All in complete silence.

He wished, with all his being, he had knocked Shiro out with a sedative and had done the whole damned adventure in the same silence he suffered now.

**Author's Note:**

> As always, thank you for editing iceburg-rose, you wonderful, beautiful human being!


End file.
